Design Dashboards to Help People Decide

Many teams have dashboards full of numbers but still leave meetings without a decision. Meriem Benhabiles argues that more data is not always the answer. A dashboard needs a clear question and a person who will use the answer. UX, or user experience design, helps connect that information with a useful action.

Start by asking what the team needs to understand or change. A general request to show product performance is too broad. A question about which features help new users return gives the work a clearer purpose. It identifies a measure, a group of users, and a possible next step. This helps the team choose what to include and leave out.

The audience also changes how much detail a dashboard should show. An analyst may need many details to investigate a problem. A manager may first need a clear picture of the team’s situation. People also differ in how comfortable they feel with charts. The same display will not necessarily work well for everyone.

The article uses an example of a falling booking rate. A simple chart might make people think the app needs fixing. Comparing the rate with traffic sources can tell a different story. A new campaign may bring many visitors who are unlikely to book. In that example, the useful action concerns the campaign, not the app.

Benhabiles also describes a skills platform where time spent did not show learning success. Competency scores, certification completion, and progress over time gave a more useful picture. Individual users needed to understand their own next steps. Managers needed to find team gaps and decide who needed support. The main lesson is to design the dashboard around its audience and the decision they need to make.